Claims of players training in secret as Touzar retains ownership

MOROCCAN businessman Otail Touzar remains the legal owner of Salisbury City FC after the High Court hearing.

The consortium board, who are trying to gain ownership of the club, were not granted the injunction they had hoped for in trying to nullify Mr Touzar’s involvement at the club.

The club have been advised to lead a follow up appeal next week, which may be too late with the football season kicking off on Saturday and the Whites still with no league to compete in.

It is now a race against time for the club to apply to play their football in the Wessex League, a full four tiers lower than where they played last season.

Mr Touzar, who has been absent for the last few months, issued a statement slamming the consortium of five businesses who are doing everything in their power to save the football club.

In the statement Mr Touzar said: “The Conference had no right to demand £100,000 bond to allow Salisbury City to continue in the league.

“I am really shocked and disappointed by the FA decision but I will not rush to comment while I am in this state of anger and will wait for my advisors to go through the full decision and the detailed grounds behind it as supplied by the appeal board chairman before I make any full statement.”

Despite this, Mr Touzar was quick to thank the FA after their “brave decision” to not allow the consortium group into the FA for the appeal hearing, labelling the group “a gang of idiots”.

He added: “When it came to reality and the D-Day to face official authorities they were humiliated and put back to their original place where they belong, outside in the streets away from the official scene where they dream to be part of and again like every time they start crying and putting the blame on the FA, the Football Conference, the Arab Superman as they claim and the rest.”

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As well as retaining ownership of the club, Mr Touzar has claimed on several occasions to have signed players for the club, who are now training in a “secret undisclosed location”.

Despite these claims none of these said players were in the trialist team led out by Steve Claridge against Shrewton last Saturday.

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Mr Touzar has said he is keeping the players away from the club they are supposedly playing for in the coming season, to avoid any negative impact from the fans or the consortium group.

He said: “As a result of the recent decision, the club camp that was due to start once the favourable FA decision to reinstate the club to Football Conference as initially expected, was taken, will now be cancelled and instead the assembled squad will just carry on closed doors normal training sessions at an undisclosed location to avoid any negative impact on the players.”

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